PLAY HIM OUT

crash crisis

The much-mocked original was last known to have been stored in a warehouse in Woolwich, South London, as of May 16, 2015, before reportedly being destroyed.

But diners at the eatery spotted a remarkably similar rock – emblazoned with six promises below the words "A Better Plan. A Better Future" – nestled between bushes in the outside area.

The restaurant's owners, Caprice Holdings, claimed the tablet was bought shortly after the election.

PA

Ed Miliband stands in front of the original during his 2015 election campaign

Getty Images - WireImage

TV presenter Ben Fogle tweeted a snap of the 8ft-tall stone block

A spokesman for Caprice Holdings, whose chairman is millionaire Tory donor Richard Caring, said: "We bought the stone a couple of years ago at a charity auction.

"We thought it would be fun to have Ed's Stone, which was such an iconic image of the election, and put it outside in the garden.

"So many people comment on it and it was an opportunity too good to pass up."

The whereabouts of the original were shrouded in mystery after the Tories swept to power in 2015.

The stonemasons behind the eight-foot limestone block said they believed it had been "smashed", adding that they had never been asked to make another.

Steve Vanhinsbergh, co-owner of Stone Circle, also said the slab was unlikely to have been strong and stable enough to be installed in the restaurant garden.

Mr Vanhinsbergh, who said he was previously under a non-disclosure agreement, said: "I'm 99 per cent sure it's smashed. It was not returned here, but I know it was smashed because I know the man who smashed it.

"The original was too big – it was three metres (10ft) tall. You could not lift it without a crane. It was 400kg (63-stone).

"You have to handle it like a pane of glass. It will fold up. Like with all marble and stone, you have to treat it very carefully."

Rex Features

The rock was found in the garden of the Ivy Chelsea Garden, in West London

Mr Vanhinsbergh insisted the company, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, has not made a replica, but admitted: "I did think to myself we could be making a s***-load of money out of this."

The tablet helped land Labour a £20,000 fine from the Electoral Commission after the party omitted two payments totalling £7,614 relating to the eight-foot block from its election campaign spending return.

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